Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2002/06/15
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Which lens to get depends very much on your tolerance for weight and whether this is a on/off use for a telephoto. If you are doing nature/wildlife seriously then you pretty much need dedicated fast lenses as the best images are frequently very early or very late with the use of 50 to 100 speed film. That means probably the 280 as your shortest lens and a 400 to 560 as your primary lens. On a budget the telyts work well as Doug has shown but he spends a lot of time exploring/stalking using blinds and understands their weaknesses with strong field curvature. If on the other hand this is a desire to reach longer on occasion then the 180 with a 1.4 and a 2x teleconverter can work very well. With a good tripod or arms of TED then you can stack the teleconverters for a 560 F8. I have done this in a Japanese system where you needed a 12mm extension tube to make this work. With a 2x or stacked teleconverters then you really should stop down one to two stops for best quality. There is no replacement for new design fast glass in today's very competitive environment for commercial photographs. For recreation/hobby then shorter slower glass and time spent stalking and using a blind in a known area can also produce stunning images. The advantage to using a location you know well is you have time to be in the right place at the right time. This can overcome an equipment advantage. Best regards Don dorysrus@mindspring.com - -- To unsubscribe, see http://mejac.palo-alto.ca.us/leica-users/unsub.html